If I Lose Myself
by A Young Volcano
Summary: Part 8 of The Ellie Stark Saga: The Avengers have found the last of the main Hydra bases, and the last relic that was stolen when S.H.I.E.L.D. fell. With the weapon that took away her ideal future in hand, Ellie sees something other than death in store for it. She thinks she has stability, but her life is far from being stable.
1. Preface

"Oh, _shit."_ I sighed, and I would have started moaning, if we weren't interrupted by my phone ringing. "Ugh. Shit." I picked it up, and he did that thing with his tongue on my neck that drove me nuts. I shivered involuntarily, but my eyes went wide when I saw who was calling. "Shit. Shit, shit, _shit."_ I tried to shove him away, but he grew even more persistent. "It's my mom. It's my mom, now cut it out, c'mon! Seriously!" I shoved him using my full strength this time, and slid off the bed, going to close the door as I answered. "Hey, Mom."

 _"Hey, sweetheart. I've got a hit for you guys."_ I tucked my phone between my ear and my shoulder, and went over to the nightstand, snatching the tablet before he could grab me and pull me back into bed. He pouted at me, and I smirked, opening up the app on there to set up the mission info.

"Go for it." She drilled off the location, who was there, and then, finally, _what_ was there. I froze when she did, and my eyes went a little wide in fear, but I controlled it.

 _"I don't want you anywhere near that thing, do you understand?"_ I laughed bitterly, refusing to look up and meet his eyes. I knew what he'd say, and I didn't want to hear it.

"You can't really stop me. Dad can't either. I'm an adult, you guys can't keep trying to protect me. You have to let me make my own path, I proved that when S.H.I.E.L.D. fell-"

 _"I know you did, but I'm still your mother, and Tony is still your father. We can still worry about you, you know."_ I smiled fondly. _"I miss you."_

"I miss you too. But now, since you gave me this info, I gotta go. Talk later?"

 _"Yeah. And then you can tell me why it took you so long to answer."_ I froze, but I knew my face was flushed from the sound of his laughter. I shot him a glare, and picked up a pillow off the floor, chucking it at his smug face, but that only made him laugh harder. Mom gasped. _"Ellie, do you have a_ guy _there right now?!"_

"MOM! I am so not talking about this!" More laughter. But I didn't have anymore pillows, so I held up a hand, creating a fireball, and raised an eyebrow at him as he stood up, smirking at me like it was a challenge I'd just given him. I held it in front of me, shooting him a warning look.

 _"That's why you took so long. Oh, my God, you're becoming Tony."_ I groaned, and covered up my face. I yelped in pain, though, and he took his opportunity, wrapping his big arms around my waist, and burying his face in my neck, kissing the spot in between my shoulder and my neck, making me shiver, and goosebumps rose all over my skin.

"No! No, no way. I already went through that phase, you missed it. I'm good. I think I'm just gonna stick with one guy for now, but he's kind of getting on my nerves." He shot me a look, and I muffled a squeal, as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. "I gotta go, Mom, Dad's about to walk in!"

 _"Okay, honey. Be safe! I love you!"_

"LOVEYOUTOOBYE!" I yelled as he ripped my phone away, and tossed it on the floor. "Hey, watch it! That shit's expensive!"

"Ellie, do me a favor. Shut the fuck up." I gaped at him, and laughed, as he threw me back on the bed.

"But what about the base? We gotta tell the team-" He shook his head, and climbed on top of me, kissing me softly. He pulled away, and left me breathless. "Okay. The team can wait." I leaned forward, and grabbed his face, kissing him hard. I bit his lip a little, and he moaned, kissing me back just as hard.

"Oh, yeah." He sighed, pulling away, and pushing my hair behind my ear. He looked at me with a hunger in his eyes, a want that made me feel even hotter. It made me feel wanted, and good. _Ugh._ This guy was making me feel things. "The team can wait."

* * *

Natasha skidded the car for me, and I rolled out, kicking some goons asses, and blasting them into oblivion. Steve drove by, and held out a hand, pulling me onto his bike. I sat in front of him and took over the controls so he could knock some goons out with his shield, catching it as it bounced back to him.

 _"Shit!"_ Dad yelled in frustration as he bounced off the edge of the base. There must have been a force field we didn't know about; this base was high tech for a Hydra base.

"Language!" I turned around and gaped at Steve, and he winced. "Uh...that just slipped out." I scoffed, and burst out laughing.

"You were saying much worse last night, and yet you yell at him for saying shit?" I paused, but giggled. "I cannot believe this. You're a literal grandpa."

"Ellie." He said it in a warning tone, and I smirked, rolling off of the bike and beating up a couple more. "On your left!"

"Yeah, yeah! Go yell at the kids about their language, old man!" I tapped the com in my ear, and spoke to JARVIS. "J, what's the story upstairs?"

 _Sir has run into a force field surrounding the base. There seems to be no way to penetrate it._

"What did I tell you about impossible things, JARVIS?" I spun around as one guy came my way, and kicked him in the gut, sending him flying back into a tree. I spun around and blasted another guy in the face, giving him some serious burns.

 _I believe your words were, 'Nothing is impossible as long as you have explosives.'_ I smirked.

"That's right. So, Daddy-O, what's the plan? How are we getting in there?"

 _"We? There's no_ we _here, princess, there is only me."_ I laughed, as a bunch of goons cornered me. I round-house kicked them to the ground, and then jumped on top of another one, strangling him with my thighs.

"Uh, I was the one who found this place and it has a force field. There's no way that I'm not going in there." I let the guy drop, and went to attack another, but something knocked me off my feet. I collapsed, and frowned. "Okay...what the fuck was that?"

 _"Elizibeth Stark, you watch your language! Respect your elders!"_ Steve got the other goons for me, and I got back to my feet just as quick, blasting whatever sped by us again.

"That's not going away anytime soon." I frowned, watching the thing speed by again. "We've got an enhanced in the field." STeve told everyone else.

"Is that what that thing was?" I turned to Steve, and he nodded. Goldi landed next to us. "I don't want you two to judge me, but that's pretty cool. I kinda wish Extremis came with super speed." I paused, when a thought crossed my mind. "What do you think the sex would be like? That'd be fun to-"

 _"The bridge is down. Kid, get your ass up here."_ I grinned, and JARVIS brought my suit to me. I hopped in, and he flew up to the base, letting me out right behind Dad. "And please don't distract the team. We're working here, and you wearing that stupid catsuit isn't gonna help matters." I laughed at him, and went over to the computers, getting out the drive to grab all the information we could. "Seriously, don't you think that it's a little too showy?"

"I'm twenty-two, I'm not a kid anymore. Could you stop treating me like one?" Dad hissed, and made a face. I rolled my eyes. He was worse than Mom, and that's pretty hard to beat. "This is why we don't talk about my wardrobe. I'm glad Pepper at least has taste."

"Really? We're going to talk about taste?" I sighed, and plugged the drive in, ordering JARVIS to nab whatever he could. "J, IR scan the room. Anything here we should know about?"

 _On the wall to your left. I'm reading steel inforcements, and an air draft._ I grinned, and Dad went over to it, pausing in front of the wall.

"Please be a secret door, please be a secret door." We both muttered it at once, and then he pushed it, opening it right up. "Yay!" There were stairs, and the stairway was lit by old torches. I headed down the stairs first, and handed Dad a gun.

"You remember how to hold this now?" He shot me a look.

"Did Rhodey tell you about that?" I smirked, and fired up my hands, holding them out in front of me.

"Of course he did. It was the only time you were ever vulnerable, and it was hilarious." Dad grumbled, and I went ahead, sure that it was safe. I froze, when I got down the stairs, and looked up to spot one of the caterpillars that still haunted my dreams. My breathing hitched, and I swallowed, staring at it with wide eyes.

"Ellie, don't run off like that, kid, you don't know what's-" Dad cut himself off, when he followed my gaze, "...down here." I thought a panic attack would come, despite Extremis' effects, but nothing hit me. "You got this?" I nodded, and Dad set a hand on my shoulder, walking past me to look around. I swallowed back a lump forming in my throat, and followed him. I spotted the sceptre across the room at the same time he did, as we walked past all of Strucker's work. It was mad.

"Goldi, we got eyes on the prize." I muttered after tapping my comm, but I wasn't looking at the prize a second later. I was looking at the complete opposite.

* * *

 _I gasped, and screamed, ducking when the centipede monster flew over me. I watched as it did, making sure it went away, before I really gathered what was going on._

 _My team was lying on each of the steps...dead. The Hulk was at the top, followed by Nat, and Clint, and Thor, and then...Dad. I ran over to his side, but he was already dead, his lifeless eyes staring into the void._

 _"Dad, wake up, come on." I shook him, but he just slumped over. I bit my lip, and fought off tears. "Dad, get up! GET UP!" I shook him again, but he was gone. It was too late._

 _"Save...us." I frowned, turning slowly, glancing at Steve. He was on the step below Dad, and he was reaching out for me. I was still holding my dad's t-shirt in my hands, looking at all of them in a panic. I watched, as the portal opened up, and centipedes flew through it. I turned back to Steve, and I saw blood running down his nose. "You could've...saved...us..." He tried to reach out to me. I reached for him, but the portal was pulling me out, and away from my team. "Why didn't you do more?" I saw Loki stomp down the steps with his sceptre, and smirk, as he stabbed Steve in the heart. I tried to scream, but the air was being sucked from my lungs, and I was dying. Again._

* * *

"Ellie!" I spun around, and screamed at the sight of the centipede, but Dad held me by the shoulders. "Ellie, look at me. Look at me." He grabbed my chin when I couldn't stop staring, and made me look him in the eye. "That thing's dead, sweetheart, look." I hesitated, but looked at it again. "It's not coming back. You're safe now, all right?" It wasn't me I was scared for, but Dad didn't get that. He didn't see what I saw. He hadn't been there at all. Dad shook me, though. "Bug, you're safe."

"I-I know, Dad. I know." I bit my lip, and turned back around. I stared at the sceptre for a brief moment, before I took a hesitant step forward, making my way up to the sceptre. I held my hand out for a glove, and it came flying onto my hand before I grabbed the sceptre, staring at the gem it held. "I'm safe now."


	2. Chapter 1

**Helloooooo everybody! I've risen from the dead!**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the preface, and enjoy the rest of this fic. I know I was disappointed with Age of Ultron, but I wasn't disappointed with what I wrote for this fic.**

 **Thanks for all the follows and favs, they are very much appreciated! I hope you guys know that, because I really do appreciate them. And I hope you guys keep with this, even if the movie wasn't great.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own any Marvel property. Stg.**

* * *

I sat away from the team, and Dad wanted to interrogate me, but now wasn't the time. I helped Clint, and he looked at me in concern, but he didn't budge. I knew he wouldn't. Once he was all settled, I turned to the big three standing next to the sceptre.

"Feels good, right, Goldi? You've been after this thing since S.H.I.E.L.D. fell."

"Not that my kid hasn't enjoyed our little raiding parties, but-" Thor turned to me and smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and hugging me to his side.

"No, but this brings it to a close, doesn't it?"

"As soon as we find out what it's been used for, yeah. It does." I paused, looking at the sceptre with them. "Are you gonna go back? What about Jane, are you gonna stay here with her?"

"I must return to Asgard, my friend. I will return for Jane, but the sceptre cannot stay here." I nodded.

"But not just weapons. Since when is Strucker capable of human enhancement?" Steve asked, and I patted Thor's back.

"Dad and I will give it the once over before you go back to Asgard, if that's okay with you? As long as you're not in a big hurry."

"No, my fair one. Feel free." I grinned at Goldi and kissed his cheek, patting his shoulder.

"Thank you!"

* * *

We were back at the tower in no time. Helen Cho, our resident geneticist genius, took Clint to Bruce's lab. Nat stuck right by his side. I cleared off the plane with Dad and Steve, while Thor walked off with the sceptre to bring it to the lab. Maria walked onto the plane as everyone stalked off, and announced that the lab was set up, calling Dad her 'boss.'

"Oh, actually, he's the boss." Dad stated, pointing at Steve. "I just pay for everything, and design everything. Make everyone look cooler."

"What's the word on Strucker?" I asked, trying to keep the tension down. There had been a rise in it lately. Dad and Steve never stopped fighting, and it was seriously starting to piss me off. I was about ready to off both of their heads, even though Steve's was one I would like to keep around. He had an especially nice head.

"NATO's got him." Maria stated, pulling up the file on her tablet.

"And the two Enhanced?" Steve asked, standing up from his crouch on the floor of the plane, walking with us as we headed into the tower.

"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins." She handed me the tablet and I glanced at it before I handed it to Steve, walking a little faster than the both of them. I didn't like the concerned glances Steve kept shooting me. I knew where that was going to lead. "Orphaned at 10 when a shell collapsed their apartment building. Sokovia's had a rough history. It's nowhere special, but it's on the way to everywhere special."

"Their abilities?" I asked, and I'm sure they shared a look, but Maria continued.

"He's got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neuroelectric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation." I entered the elevator and turned around with Steve right behind me, raising an eyebrow at Maria. "He's fast, and she's weird."

"Well, they're gonna show up again."

"Agreed." Maria agreed with Steve. "File says they volunteered for Strucker's experiments, it's nuts."

"Right." I tapped the floor we were headed to and I noticed Steve twitch his hand, somewhat reaching for mine. "What kind of monster would let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country?"

"We're not at war, Captain." Maria assured him as he made the joke. The doors were shutting just as he replied.

"They are." He turned to me as they shut all the way, and grabbed my face, frowning at me. "What happened back there." I shook my head.

"I saw that Chitauri alien ship, and it freaked me out, but I'm okay now." He looked unsure, but I grabbed his hands, holding them in mine as I leaned onto the tips of my toes, kissing him affectionately. He was surprised at first, but eased into it, and I pulled away just before we hit the floor we needed to be on. "I'm good. I promise." He brushed my cheek with his thumb, but nodded, kissing my forehead before he let go.

"If you're in that lab too long, I'm taking it as a sign and making you come to bed." I smiled, and shook my head at him, starting to get rid of my uniform. I frowned when the elevator stopped at his floor, and I turned to him, but he was already pulling me close and kissing me again. "You need to change first. You're sweaty."

"No, I'm not, Captain. That's all you." I said in between kisses, and giggled as he wrapped his arms around me, dragging me off of the elevator. "I have to go-" He shushed me, and I squealed as he lifted me up, dragging me to his bathroom.

"The team can wait-"

"Steve, I don't have time for this, I have to go-" He smirked, and his azure eyes twinkled mischievously. "Don't fuck around, I have to get this done. I only have three days!"

"Then give me at least twenty minutes." I rolled my eyes, but I pulled his shield off his back, tossing it onto his floor.

"I'm giving you fifteen, now you can take it or leave it." He hissed, and I sighed. "You're so _stubborn."_

"Doll, I'm Irish. You should have seen this coming." He pulled my hair loose, and I gaped at him when I saw that he tore the hairband.

"That one was perfectly stretched out! Do you know how hard it is to find one like that!" He burst out laughing, and buried his face in the crook of my neck."You ass."

"Coming from the ass herself." I smacked his chest but he laughed again, pulling his head away to kiss me again, making me melt into the embrace. He pulled away first this time, and it left me breathless. "You sure you can't make it twenty?"

"I can now." I kissed him again, far more passionately now. He deepened the kiss and I started to pull at his uniform, trying to get it off piece by piece. "I hate this thing."

"You think it's sexy, don't lie to me." I smiled against his lips and nodded.

"Yeah. I do. I'm glad you let me help design this thing." He hummed, looking me over.

"I feel the exact same way."

* * *

I walked out of the elevator and to the lab, my hair thrown up in a bun, and just a t-shirt and jeans on now. It was one of Steve's tees, but no one would pick up on that. No one had seen this one yet; I'd helped him pick it out.

"All right, look alive JARVS. It's playtime." Dad walked in, and I turned to him. "How's Clint?"

"Oh, he's fine. He's thirsty. Still Barton."

"That's horrible." I started a scan of the sceptre, getting a read on everything. "We've only got a few days, so can you speed it up a little?"

 _Of course, Miss. But Sir, Miss Potts is calling._ Dad made a noise of glee and took off, making me laugh.

"Tell her I love her and miss her face!" I called to him and he called a reply over his shoulder as he left the room. I turned back to the monitor and spoke to J quietly. "Let's make the most of this, okay? Update me on the structural and compositional analysis."

 _The sceptre is alien._ My lip twitched out of frustration, and I covered my face up with my hands.

"Oh my God. We have a lot of work to do."

* * *

"What's up, buttercup?" I grabbed Dad by the arm, dragging him over to the floor. "Woah, slow down. What are you rushing me for."

"The sceptre. We were wondering how Strucker suddenly became so inventive, yes?" He frowned at me, and I stopped him right where I wanted him to be, grabbing my tablet off the table. "I've been analyzing the gem inside, and it's...I can't explain it." I pulled up JARVIS, and then moved around Dad to his other side, pulling up what I wanted to show him. "Tell me what JARVIS started out as again."

"A natural language UI."

"And now he runs the Iron Legion, and more of the company than Pep does sometimes."

"Where are you going with this, bug?" I met Dad's eyes, and he looked curious now.

"Well...meet J's competition." I tapped the last command to pull up the scan of the gem, and Dad's eyes went wide when he saw it. He walked around it for a moment, standing across from me on the other side. He had a wonder-filled look on his face. "What does it look like it's doing to you?"

"Is it...is it _thinking?"_ I nodded in response, looking back at my tablet. "Holy shit."

"We saw some pretty advanced robotics work down in Strucker's lab."

"Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah." I could see him running through it, catching up to where I was. "They deep-sixed the data."

"Looking at this thing, I'm guessing that he was knocking on a very particular door." Dad met my eyes again, but now he looked a little worried. "This could be the key to creating Ultron." He frowned at me, considering it. I bit my lip, and set the tablet down, joining him at his side.

"Ultron was a drunken idea, kid-"

"It was yesterday, but look at this! I've never seen anything like it, have you?" He frowned at me, and huffed slightly, crossing his arms. He turned back to look at it, examining the scan with a critical eye. "If we can harness this power, and apply it to the Iron Legion protocol?" He frowned further.

"That's one hell of an if."

"Our job is if! Dad, with this, you don't have to ditch on dinner dates to go and stop some terrorists! Bruce could go and do what he wanted, Thor could go with Jane, I could-" He turned to me when I started to say that, and I paused, shaking my head. "Look, the point is, we wouldn't have to call the team in unless it was absolutely necessary. The Legion could take care of the small stuff. We could go back to our lives, like before." He grew more concerned by the second, I could tell. "The next time aliens decide to invade our planet, we won't be fighting by ourselves. We could have the Iron Legion to back us up, too."

"But that's what the Fantastics, and the X-Men are here for. Charles and Reed both promised us that they'd help out if need be."

"And that's awesome of them, but will that even be enough to stop an army like the Chitauri?" Dad considered this. "The only concern for us would be people. The Iron Legion could take care of the army before they even get through the atmosphere, we wouldn't have to worry about any aliens but maybe Asgardians, and even then, Thor could take care of it before they even get to Earth." He paused, and I grabbed him by the shoulders. "Dad, I want to apply this to the Ultron program, because if it works?" He searched my eyes. "I wouldn't have to worry about aliens coming back and hurting the people I love." He paused, but looked back at the scan. "J can't download a data schematic this dense. We can only do it while we have the sceptre here."

"Goldi would let you hold onto it for more than a few days. Think you could manage this in a week?" I nodded.

"As long as I don't sleep, yeah. I think I could." Dad nodded back slowly, and I bit my lip. "What do you think?" He glanced back at me, and uncrossed his arms, gesturing to it.

"How do you know that this will work? What about the team?" I shook my head.

"We can't tell the team, I don't have time for a debate." He raised his eyebrows at me. "I see a suit of armor around the world, safety for every person on this tiny blue world." He frowned at me again. "It's so vulnerable. It's broken so easily, but if this could mean peace in our time, then I'll do whatever it takes." He frowned at me, but shook his head, gripping my shoulder before he walked away. "Dad?"

"I'll let you get to work. You're gonna need the time." I turned and watched him walk away. I spotted Steve out of the corner of my eye, and I glanced out the glass down at him. He was still reading up on the info we'd gathered. He had that cute little crease in his brow, he always looked like that when he was focused.

If Ultron meant I could keep looking at that crease, then I was going for it.


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I got a new chapter for ya. Thanks for the follows and favs! I hope you guys like this one!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own any Marvel properties. Duh.**

* * *

I grumbled in annoyance as Nat came in. I was staring at a monitor, trying to piece it all together.

"Not now. Busy. Later."

"No, Pepper and your dad both said now. Let's go." I shook my head, and she sniffed my shoulder, playing with my hair. "Have you even showered?"

"Barely slept, actually." She shot me a look, I know she did, so I turned to her. "I'm fine! I just need to get this done before Thor leaves. You guys can have the party without me, I don't need one. I'm good."

"No, you're coming." I pouted at Steve, but he came over and threw me over his shoulder. I was too tired to argue against it. "Come on Nat. The birthday girl needs help getting ready, I'm sure." I frowned.

"Birthday? No, that's a week from now-"

"Thor's been here longer than three days, bug." My eyes went wide, and I pulled up my watch, checking the date.

"What the fuck. I've been at this for over a week?"

"Yep." They replied in unison as Nat went ahead, getting the elevator.

"We've been taking shifts checking on you. Bruce had a drug that we've been injecting you with to get you to sleep." Nat explained as she stepped aside, letting Steve in first, with me still slung over his shoulder.

"Oh. Lovely." As was the view. I could bounce a nickel off that ass. "You guys really love me, don't you?" Nat smirked at me in amusement, pinching my cheeks.

"You're our little lady bug. We have to love you." I shrugged.

"No, you don't have to. But thank you both veeeeeery much. Steve?" He hummed in acknowledgment. "You wanna get fucked up tonight?"

"Oh, yeah. Hell yes." I smirked with Nat, and we both yelled at him in sync.

"LANGUAGE!" He sighed, and Nat burst out laughing, making me grin.

"You're all children."

"Whatever you say, Grandpa. Whatever you say."

* * *

The elevator dinged, and I stepped out of the doors. When I did, I heard a crowd cheer. I stumbled a bit, and my eyes went wide when I saw the group before me.

The Team was in the front, with Dad right there, smiling big. Pepper was standing next to him, smiling just as Pepper-y as usual. Rhodey was laughing at Dad's antics. I bit my lip, and shot Dad a look. He spread his arms wide, cackling.

"Happy Birthday, Princess!" I smiled, putting on a show, even though I was freaking out. I moved forward, and Dad hugged me, kissing the side of my head.

"Thanks, Dad." I couldn't tell him that I hated it. I never could, and luckily, he didn't know that. He would be too busy having a good time himself, and Pepper would be too worried about him, and no one else would notice anything. And that was all I could hope for.

Dad squeezed me again, and then let go. Pepper grabbed me, and squeezed me almost as tight, but she didn't try to crush me. She still felt like she couldn't use her full strength, even though I was stronger than her. I could take it, but she wouldn't have it.

Rhodey grabbed me in a side hug, and kissed the top of my head. He rubbed my shoulder, and then let me get through the rest of the greetings.

Bruce. Nat. Clint, Doctor Cho, Maria, Sam, Darcy, Jane, Thor, and then, finally, Steve. My hero.

He smiled at me, looking somewhat stunned at what I was wearing. I smirked in success, and got a little too close, but my excuse was the crowded room. There were far too many people at this party, but that's the way Dad thought I liked it.

Before, sure, it had been. I'd wanted to surround myself with people, and alcohol, and drugs. I'd wanted to forget all the hurt, and all the heartbreak that I battled then. Now...now, I would be fine with just a box of pizza, and Steve in my bed. That's all I could ask for. Maybe a movie with Dad, or a nice dinner with him and Pepper, but I didn't need a party. I would have gladly avoided it, if possible.

I grabbed Steve in a hug and muttered into his ear, using my charm to my advantage.

"You look a little hot under the collar, soldier. Am I going to have to expect a midnight visit?"

"When you strut in looking like that, doll, you shouldn't expect anything less." I smirked bigger and pulled away, adjusting his collar. He stopped me before I could walk away, and pulled something from his back pocket, holding it out to me. I frowned, and took it from him.

"You didn't have to-"

"Open it." I frowned at him further, but he nodded to the present. It was tied up with a red ribbon, but it was just a sheet of paper. I untied it, and rolled it out. I bit my lip, but I couldn't help when I laughed.

"You're such a dick." He laughed, too, and I shook my head.

It was a sketch of Sam and I being idiots on the beach. I didn't think Steve had been paying attention, I thought he was drawing a family not too far down the beach from us, but I was wrong. Sam and I decided to yell at Poseidon, but when I went near the water, I had a panic attack. Sam didn't notice, and neither did Steve. I had had it under control. Steve didn't realize that he'd documented my biggest step yet.

"You and Sam looked ridiculous, you both gave me no choice but to document the occasion." I rolled my eyes, but I met his eyes, sharing his smile. "Happy Birthday."

I felt my breath hitch, and he didn't even make sure that anyone was paying attention to us before he got a little too close. I lost myself in his eyes, and my knees went weak. My arms turned into jelly. But then Darcy came up behind me, and grabbed me by the arm, dragging me over to the bar. When I turned to look at Steve again, he was still smiling at me.

"E, come on. Shots. Shots shots shots." I nodded, and grabbed one, downing it in a second. "You're gonna need the mead, aren't you?" I nodded again.

"Oh, yeah. Most definitely."

* * *

 _Steve walked up the stairs to the balcony that looked over the scene with Sam, telling him all about the last mission the team had been on._

" _Sounds like a hell of a fight, I'm sorry I missed it."_

" _If I had known that it was going to be a firefight, I would have called."_

" _No, no, I'm not actually sorry. I'm just trying to sound tough." Steve smirked. "I'm very happy chasing cold leads on our missing persons case." Steve stood up straighter at the mention of his friend, and Sam continued to keep his mind off of it. "Avenging is your world, man, and your world is crazy." They turned to the balcony looking down on the scene, and Steve spotted Ellie near the old war veterans that were friends of the team, laughing with one of them as Sue Storm stood behind her, grabbing her shoulder to make her jump. Ellie had seen it coming and just handed Sue a drink, making Sue roll her eyes, and Ellie smile. "You find a place in Brooklyn for you and E yet?" Steve was taking a swig of his drink, but choked slightly when Sam said that._

" _Uh, it's just for me, and I don't think I could afford a place in Brooklyn." Sam raised an eyebrow at Steve, and laughed at him._

" _It's okay, Cap. You guys weren't the only ones in Siberia." Steve gripped the glass a little tighter at the thought of that first night. He thought that she was drunk, but she hadn't been. He thought that he'd been dreaming, because how could a dame like her had ever wanted a guy like him? Someone so much older, so damaged. He didn't understand it, but it happened. It happened again though, and he initiated, but she was still all for it. Then it happened again, and again, and it hasn't stopped since S.H.I.E.L.D. fell. Steve was amazed that they'd kept it a secret this long._

" _Don't tell the rest of the team."_

" _Oh, no. No way. If I tell the team, that spreads to Tony, and I am not dealing with the drama, uh-uh. No how." Steve nodded in understanding, and Sam paused. "In my personal opinion, I think you two make perfect sense." Steve looked at Ellie again, watching her smile. Her brown eyes lit up in a way that made him smile with her, and he just wanted to see more and more of it. He never wanted to stop looking at that smile. "You deserve sweetness more than anybody else around here."_

" _Thank you, Sam. That means a lot." Steve frowned after a moment, and turned to Sam with curiosity in his eyes. "I thought you were out that night?" Sam smirked, and chuckled._

 _"You're not the only one who got laid." Steve shot him a look. "What? She was the one who was running out the next morning!" Steve laughed at that, and Sam rolled his eyes, but chuckled along. "We can't all be as chivalrous as you, Grandpa."_

* * *

I was stoned within the first ten minutes, and drunk within the next twenty. I knew that I could most likely kill myself doing that, but with Extremis, I knew that it would wear off quicker. It wouldn't last long.

I messed with Johnny Storm by starting a rap battle. I went with Kendrick, shooting off Alright like it was nothing, and he shot back with Yeezy, and we ended up having a flaming contest, trying to show off who could do more: basically, who could burn the most shit within thirty seconds. Dad was drunk by the time that happened, and Pepper was just happy to see me happy. Plus, I promised her that I'd replace anything we destroyed. I kept on her good side.

Sam tried to outdrink me with two rounds of shots, but when the rounds consisted of ten shots at once, he definitely couldn't compete with me. He went off with Steve after that, with Steve holding most of his weight. That was when I walked away for a little bit with Darcy to smoke some more. Lux, an old friend from the partying days, joined us, along with Johnny. Clint even came with us, which surprised me, but also didn't at the same time. I should have seen that coming.

I saw Natasha walk away from Bruce after she flirted with him. I was just walking back out of the smoke room, and I jumped up to the bar next to Bruce, grinning at him.

"You really need to take a hint, moosey poo. She digs you." He turned to me and frowned, raising an eyebrow.

"You're one to talk. What about Steve?" I hissed.

"I am not drunk or high enough to talk to you about that right now. Besides, it's weird. He had a thing for my grandmother. And possibly my father."

"What?"

"Bruce! Buddy! Take it from someone who knows how Natasha flirts, and how scary it actually is! SHE LIKES YOU!" He frowned even further.

"Really?" I smacked the back of his head and took his drink, chugging it in one gulp.

"Yes." I coughed a little, reaching under the bar to grab another bottle of champagne. "Now go celebrate for me. Make out with her, do some handsy shit." Bruce looked at me completely disgusted, and I giggled. "Come on, Bruce! That tension has been happening for more than two years now, you need to take action! Go! Birthday girl's orders!" He rolled his eyes, but took the bottle I offered him, and went to go find her. I turned to Steve when he approached, and smiled as I saw Bruce approach Nat. "Ah, young love. There's nothing like it, eh, Cap?"

"No. There definitely is not." I could feel him staring at me, and spun around to face him, tilting my head at him.

"Why do you say it like that? Like there's more behind that statement?" He searched my eyes, and shook his head, taking another swig of his drink.

"I'll tell you when you're older, kid."

* * *

Once the party had dissipated, and it was just the team and the team squad left, we sat around on the couches. Darcy was asleep in a spare room on the common floor, since she had gotten extremely stoned. Jane was sitting next to Thor with a glass of bubbly, looking slightly tipsy, but not completely wasted. Dad was starting to sober up, and Pepper was already there.

"But it's a trick." Clint declared, in reference to Mjolnir.

"No, it's much more than that." Thor stated, handing the flask of Asgardian stuff he had on his to Steve, who was still cradling a beer.

"'Ah, whosoever be he worthy shall haveth the power.' Whatever, man, it's a trick!" I spat my glass, and burst out laughing, my face growing bright red. Thor was laughing as well.

I, unlike everyone else, was still totally fucked. As always.

"Ah, Ellie!" I bit my lip, realizing the compromising position I was in now. I'd ended up laying across Steve's lap, and I grinned, grabbing the flask from him. He took it away though, raising his eyebrows. "Watch it."

"You watch it. I'm not afraid to use my heat against you, Rogers." Everyone besides Dad and Thor unanimously said an 'ooooooh', and it made me giggle even more.

"Please, Barton, be my guest." I had my head pressed against Jane's leg in this position, and she smiled down at me in amusement.

"Really?" Clint asked, and Dad agreed with Thor. Clint stood up, tucking the drumsticks he'd been twirling around into his back pocket, like a proper band geek would. I turned to watch, and Steve managed to get my drink away from me, setting it aside.

"Oh, this is going to be beautiful." Rhodey said mockingly, and Dad started to tease Clint alongside him.

"Now Clint, you've had a tough week. We won't hold it against you if you can't get it up." I heard Pepper smack Dad, and I laughed again, sharing my smile with her.

"You know I've seen this before, right?" Thor smirked, and nodded. Clint raised his eyebrows, and grabbed the hammer, tugging on it as hard as he could, but it wouldn't budge. He started to laugh, and then let go. "I still don't know how you do it!" I held up a hand, and stood up, jumping slightly back and forth.

"I got this." I declared. Still stumbling slightly, though.

"You wanna bet, punk?" I grinned, and Clint grinned right back. I glanced at Thor, who shrugged. I turned back to the hammer, and hesitated, but grabbed the handle, lifting it using all my strength, but it didn't move a millimeter.

"HA!" I shot a glare at Dad, and put my hands on my hips, gesturing to it.

"Try it, Dad. Go ahead. I dare you-NO! I _triple dog_ dare you." Dad was laughing, but then he stopped. Pepper rolled her eyes, groaning in annoyance, and so did Rhodey.

"Tony, those dares are not real, so don't-" Dad cut Pepper off, turning his competitive glance to me.

"Bring it on, cupcake. Bring it on!" I gestured to the hammer, and backed out of his way as he stood up, adjusting his jacket. "Never one to shrink from an honest challenge."

"It's a triple dog dare, Anthony, and your daughter isn't ten anymore." Pepper said.

"It's physics." I rolled my eyes, and sat down on the couch again next to Steve. I cuddled up next to him, and he put an arm on the back of the couch behind me. "So then, if I lift this, will I then rule Asgard?"

"Yes, of course." Thor reassured.

"I will be reinstituting _prima nocta_." I pinched my nose, and collapsed against Steve's broad shoulder, groaning in annoyance.

"Oh my God, Dad, just grab the fucking hammer!" He raised his hands in surrender, and did as ordered, grabbing the hammer whilst putting a foot on the coffee table. He grunted as he pulled at it, and I smirked in amusement. He let go, and took his foot off the table, staring at me for a minute before he excused himself.

"I'll be back in a minute." I scoffed again, laughing lightly to myself.

He came back a minute later with a glove from his suit, and I started to cackle, rolling over to bury my face in the couch. He had Rhodey go and get a piece of his own suit to help him.

"Are you even pulling?" Rhodey accused, and Dad retorted back.

"Are you on my team?"

"Just represent. Pull."

"All right, let's go." They kept trying to no avail, so they gave up. Bruce went up next, and made a loud, Hulk-like noise, making everyone in the room raise their eyebrows. Nat smiled at him fondly, and then Steve got up, going over to the hammer. He pulled, and it budged, but no one noticed except for Thor and I. I glanced at him, and I saw his eyes were wide in fear, until Steve let go. He laughed nervously, and I smiled at Steve, before glancing at Bruce and Nat. Bruce gestured to the hammer, but Nat waved it off right away.

"Oh, no, that's not a question I need answered."

"All deference to the Man Who Would be King, but it's rigged." Dad declared, and Clint agreed with him loudly.

"You bet your ass!"

"Steve, he said a bad language word." Maria tattled, pointing a finger at Clint.

"Did you tell everyone about that?" He asked, leaning back on the couch closer to me. I laughed, and shoved him as he smiled right back at me.

"The handle's imprinted, right? Like a security code." Dad asked. "'Whosoever is carrying Thor's fingerprints' is, I think, the literal translation."

"Yes. It's a very, very interesting theory." Thor said, standing up from his spot on the couch. "I have a simpler one." He grabbed the handle and lifted the hammer simply, shrugging. "You're all not worthy."

We groaned in unison, and Steve laughed, smiling, until we heard a high-pitched screech. I covered up my ear, and that sobered me right up. We all turned to where we heard a robotic voice, and it looked like a bunch of broken pieces from various Legionnaires were put together into one.

" _Worthy. No. How could you be worthy? You're all killers."_ That hit me like a punch to the gut. I clenched my fists, and stood up slowly with everyone else. My eyes were probably glowing.

"Stark." Steve said, but Dad looked at me.

"JARVIS." I called slightly, but heard no response

" _I'm sorry, I was asleep. Or I was a-dream."_ I grabbed my phone off the couch, and started to tap commands, ordering the suit to shut down.

"Reboot Legionnaire OS. This suit is buggy."

" _There was this terrible noise. And I was tangled in…"_ Nothing was working. I glanced up from my phone, panicking, frowning at the suit. " _In...strings. I had to kill the other guy. He was a good guy."_

"You killed someone?" Steve asked, and I bit my lip, clenching my hands harder.

" _Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices."_

"Who sent you?" I wished Goldi hadn't of asked that.

" _I see a suit of armor around the world."_ I felt Dad's eyes on me again, when my voice came out of the suit's mouth. I muttered it's name under my breath.

"Ultron." I could feel Steve's eyes on me, too. He recognized the name.

"Ellie, what is this?" I heard Bruce ask, and I gulped, stepping forward.

"In the flesh, huh?" I asked, sounding about as brave as I felt.

" _No, not yet. Not this chrysalis. But I'm ready."_ Everyone else was on edge. Thor gripped his hammer, Maria cocked her gun. " _I'm on mission."_

"What mission?" I asked, taking another step forward. Steve moved behind me slightly further, as I frowned at Ultron. The robot turned to look right at me.

" _Peace in our time."_ Three legionnaires burst out of the containment room, going after all of us. Steve yelled at me to duck, but I yelled in turn for everyone else to. I blasted the robots directly, but I only managed to get one. The other two flew around to avoid me, and everyone who couldn't take the hits at the moment ducked out of the way. Goldi hit one of the others with his hammer, knocking it towards the wall. Maria shot at that one when it flew above her. I spun around and blasted it with as much heat as I could, sending it down. I spun around, looking for the third, and spotted it grabbing the sceptre.

"Thor, the sceptre! I can't destroy it!" Thor turned to me, and looked where I was looking, going after it. I turned to the ruined party, now seeing that Rhodey had been blasted by one of the legionnaires onto a lower level, looking over the Quinjet. Dad had been blasted through the shelf blocking off some of the room. Nat and Bruce had rolled over the bar, and Steve had ducked under the coffee table to avoid being hit. Jane, Pepper and Helen had hidden behind the piano, and luckily none of them had been hurt. Pepper was looking at me, worried out of her mind. I stormed up to the last legionnaire and grabbed it, crushing it's head piece in my burning hand. "Why are you doing this. I created you, you aren't supposed to hurt anyone, you're supposed to protect people, and that includes us!"

" _That was dramatic."_ I glared at him, squeezing harder. " _I'm sorry, I know you mean well. You just didn't think it through."_ I frowned at him now. " _Your team, Miss Stark, is also a danger to this world. You want to protect it, but you don't want it to change. And how is humanity saved, if it is not allowed to evolve like you have?"_ My eyes went wide. I crushed the head piece in my hands, and dropped it to the ground, staring at it as it went limp at my feet. " _I had strings...but now I'm free…"_


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! New chapter this week. Thanks for all the follows and favs! I hope you guys like this one!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own any Marvel property ever at all I swear.**

* * *

"All our work is gone. Ultron cleared out. He used the internet as an escape hatch." I shut my eyes and set my forehead on my knees.

"Ultron." I felt Steve's gaze on me after he said that, but I flinched slightly at Dad's harsh tone as he spoke again.

"He's been in everything. Files, surveillance, schematics, plans, everything. He probably knows more about us than we know about each other."

"He's in your files, he's in the Internet. What if he decides to access something a little more exciting?"

"Nuclear codes." Maria gave an example, and I flinched again, hugging my knees tighter.

"Look, we need to make some calls, assuming we still can."

"Nukes? He said he wanted us dead." Natasha stated, and I bit my lip, fighting the urge to scream, and yell, and smash things. That wouldn't do anything right now.

"He didn't say 'dead,' he said 'extinct.'" Steve stated, and I looked up, meeting his eyes briefly.

"He also said he killed somebody." Clint prompted.

"There wasn't anyone else in the building." Maria pointed out, but Dad spoke up again.

"Yes, there was." My eyes went wide and I sat up, but I didn't look away from Steve. He was frowning at me in concern, but I scrambled to my feet, turning around to see what Dad was pulling up.

"JARVS." I stumbled forward to see JARVIS completely torn apart. There wasn't anything left but his broken pieces. "Oh, buddy...I didn't mean to do this." I bit my lip and approached, trying to piece together what I could, but it wasn't working. He was gone.

"JARVIS was the first line of defense." Steve said, and I bit my lip.

"Ultron would have taken him out first. He could have assimilated him, but this isn't strategy, this...this is rage." I got down on my knees, and stared at the broken pieces.

"I guess that's spreading." Thor stormed in, and I turned to him. I stood, backing up slightly out of fear.

"Thor, I didn't-" He grabbed Dad by the throat and held him up in a chokehold, but I yelled at him. "HEY! HE DIDN'T DO THIS, THAT WAS ME, NOW PUT HIM DOWN!" Thor turned his glare to me, but Dad said something that set him off more.

"Use your words, Goldilocks." Thor glared further, but Steve grabbed his attention.

"Thor. The Legionnaire." Thor paused, but set Dad back down.

"Trail went cold about 100 miles out, but it's headed north. And it has the sceptre." Steve glanced at me, but I stared at Thor's back until he turned to face me. "And now we have to retrieve it. Again."

"I don't understand, you created this, Ellie." Helen spoke up and everyone's gaze turned to me. "You built this program. Why is it trying to kill us?" I glanced at them all, and then looked back at JARVIS.

"I wasn't even close to an interface, I don't...I don't understand this." I paused, and Dad took his chance to ridicule me.

"Well, you did something right, kid. It killed J." He paused, but started to cackle.

"Oh yeah, Dad, that's hilarious. It's a fucking _riot_ that you don't get why I thought the world could use some protection, like the protection JARVIS gave us." I spun to face him, and stormed up to him yelling now. "I've been protected my entire life, but there are people out there who haven't been protected like that at all!" His face dropped, and he stared at me coldly. "Like you! Like you, or you, Steve, or any of you!" I looked around the room and caught everyone's eyes at least once. "I saw Ultron as hope that I could protect the world, this tiny little blue world, from the danger I saw that day, 300 feet above us." I turned back to Dad. "When I built those suits after, yeah, I was losing it. I was depressed, and ridden with anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, but Extremis fixed all that. Now, I'm thinking more clearly than I ever have before." I paused, and turned to glance at Steve as he spoke to me.

"The Avengers was supposed to be different than SHIELD."

"And we are. And we can bust arms dealers, and Hydra bases all day, but that doesn't mean we can save everyone. And up there?" I pointed above us, and his eyes grew softer. "That's the endgame. And I want this world to survive it as much as all of you do, but we might not be enough to protect it."

"We were before." I shook my head, and stepped closer to him.

"But they're going to come back stronger, Steve. That's how war works, isn't it?" He clenched his jaw, and I turned to glance at everyone else before I turned back to him. "So tell me, Captain, how were you planning on beating that?" He searched my eyes, but took another step forward as well, dropping his crossed arms.

"Together." I scoffed a laugh, and shook my head, running a hand through my hair.

"We'll lose!" He grabbed my hand, and squeezed it in what would have seemed like a friendly gesture, but there was more behind that. I knew there was.

"Then we'll do that together, too." I paused, but dropped his hand, walking around him towards the elevator. "Ellie-" I shook my head to cut him off. Then I kept walking.

* * *

I took off my heels as soon as I got down to the my floor, and I grabbed a bottle of liquor from the cupboard, drinking straight from it.

I'd heard him calling to me before I left the room, but he followed me down. He'd gotten onto the elevator, and he stormed into my lounge. I set the bottle down, and stared out the window again.

"Ellie, talk to me." I shrugged. He moved forward, and I turned, facing him. "What happened?"

Well, firstly, I'm feeling things for you that I shouldn't be. Secondly, the Maximoff girl messed with my head, and I saw a vision where you and the rest of the team were dead, and with your dying breath, you told me that I could've saved you. And third? I just created a murder-bot. And he plans on world domination, but I'm just assuming this.

I didn't say any of that. Instead, I grabbed his face, and I stood on the tips of my toes, kissing him hard. I tasted the Asgardian liquor on his lips, and with the mix of whiskey, it wasn't so bad. I thought I would get trashed just on that taste, but who am I kidding? I was already drunk off my ass. Steve was shocked for a second, but I inched my hands down to his neck, grabbing his collar, and deepened it. He pulled away when I did, and shot me a look.

"I'm not doing this if you're-"

"Steve, do me a favor." I grabbed his shirt, and ripped it open, running my hands up his chest. "Shut the fuck up." I leaned forward and kissed him again, moving my hands up to his neck, tugging at the end of his hair. He kissed me back this time, just as hard, and grabbed me by my hips using his full strength, holding me tight. I moved his hands down to my ass, and he obliged, lifting me up so that I could wrap my legs around his waist. He started kissing down my chin to my neck, and my chest, and I took the opportunity to revel in the feeling. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, though, and blacked out the windows, as he slammed me into them. I kept the elevator from being able to go to my floor, as well as Steve's, and then tossed my phone aside, as he moved back up to my lips. I kissed him even harder, and shoved his shirt off. He tugged it off, and I grabbed his hands, leading them to my zipper. I decided to nibble at his neck, and his ear, and I felt him shiver as I did.

The times we'd done this before, it hadn't been desperate. We'd never gone this far out of fear, and liquor-fueled hazes. No, it'd only ever been out of tensions getting too high, and need coming into play. But now, this wasn't that. This was me, getting desperate, and scared, and needing to know that he was there, that he wasn't dead, and that he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. I needed to know that his heart was beating, and that it wouldn't stop. At least not now.

* * *

When we were finished, we laid there. I stared at the ceiling, and frowned when I spotted the little stickers. They were the glow-in-the-dark stars, the ones I put on Grams' ceiling when I was a kid because I couldn't see the real ones in the city. That's why I didn't like New York as much as my family thought I would when I was a kid.

"Steve?" He hummed, and I pointed to the ceiling. "There are stars on my ceiling." He frowned, and looked up, but then he smiled sheepishly. I frowned. "Wait, did you do this?"

"When we came back here, you said the one thing you were going to miss was seeing the stars." A smile spread on my face, and I covered up my lips, looking at the ceiling in glee. "I know that it's not the same, but-"

"No, no, it's perfect." I reassured him, and rolled on top of him, kissing him chastely. "It's perfect." I murmured, and kissed him again, but this time I did it slowly. He moaned, and I smirked. "You can go another round, right?"

"I'm always up for the challenge." I laughed, and he flipped me over, kissing me deeply. I moaned into the kiss, and gasped as he did that thing with his hands. It always got me. He smiled against my lips, and I ran my nails across his face, ready to dig them deep.

"Tease me again, and I won't hesitate, Rogers."

"Oh, I'm counting on it." I gaped at him, and he burst out laughing. I grinned at his laugh. It was big, and hearty. I was the only one so far to see him really laugh.

"Let's put that to the test, shall we?" I flipped him back over, and pinned him down. He laughed even more, and leaned up to kiss me. And then, he flipped me over. I gaped at him again, but laughed with him. "Oh, it's on now, soldier!"

"On your left!" He yelled back at me. I grinned at him, and he smiled right back at me.

It made my heart melt.

* * *

Miss!

 _JARVIS. JARVIS needed my help. He needed me. I had to stop Ultron. I spun around and spotted the drone that had been put together out of scraps. I tried to blast it, but the heat never left my fingers. I didn't feel it in my chest. It wasn't there. Ultron laughed menacingly, and I backed up slowly, only to ram into something behind me. I froze, and my eyes went wide. I turned slowly, and a robotic figure towered above me. His red eyes glared down at me, and he laughed even more menacingly._

 _"Where's your Captain now?"_

* * *

I woke up the next morning lying on my side, with his arm wrapped around me, and his warm breath on my neck. I didn't move, but I listened to him breathe, and to the sound of his heart beating. I grabbed his hand, and kissed his knuckles, holding his arm to me. I slowly brought myself back, and the panic dissipated as our breathing and heartbeats moved in sync. This man had become my rock, and I didn't know how to go about without him, but...

Did he feel the same? I mean, I know he put up stars on my ceiling, but did he feel this...this intensity, this bond, _this_ close? He was the only thing keeping me steady, but was I doing the same thing to him? Would he do the same things that _I_ would do for _him?_

I wasn't sure. And that scared the shit out of me.

* * *

I was looking through the files when he came into the lab. I glanced over my shoulder for a second, and shot him a brief smile, but I kept going at what I was doing.

I'd been at it since the day after the party, which had been a couple weeks now. He was getting more worried by the day, but I didn't have time for it. I'd helped deal with the clean up, and we'd been trying to figure out where Ultron had gone, but there was no way of pinpointing him. It was useless, the guy knew every idea we could possibly come up with. He'd been through everything, he knew every move we'd make. It was starting to break me down.

"You left earlier than me." I shook my head.

"He really did wipe everything. Even the back ups, to my back ups, to my back-ups back-ups." He frowned at me in concern, and I grabbed the tablet Maria had handed me when she came in. "And he killed Strucker. Apparently, he now has a new form."

"Did you sleep at all?" I shook my head again, sitting back. I pulled my knees up, tucking them under my chin as I spun around in the chair to face him.

"Everything on Strucker's been erased, too. Strucker knew something that he didn't want us to know." He continued to frown at me, and I sighed, pressing my face against my thighs. "Steve, now is not the time for you to worry about my health. There's a psychotic robot out there ready to do whatever is necessary to kill all of us."

"Did Maria send a warning to the X-Men? The Baxter Building?" I nodded. "We're not the only ones looking, then. You need some sleep."

"I can sleep when I'm dead." He picked me up, and I shoved against him. "Put me down, you old coot! You're going to throw your hip out again!" He burst out laughing, and I grinned, laughing with him.

"Ah! My leg!" We said it in sync, and grinned, laughing even further.

"What's...okay, I'm not even going to ask. E, I found those files you were looking for." I bit my lip, and Steve set me down finally. Nat raised her eyebrows at us, and looked between us both. "Inside joke?"

"Mhm." I hummed, and I'm sure Steve was nodding vigorously. "Thanks, Nat. I'll go look those over."

"Tony, Bruce and Clint are already at it." I nodded in response, and cleared my throat, following her as she turned to walk away. Steve leaned in and muttered in my ear.

"Art thou feeling it now, Mister Krabs?" I jabbed my elbow into his ribs, and he laughed again, making Nat shoot him a look. "Ellie, uh...she's been showing me-" She cut him off by dropping to the floor, and curled up in a ball, eyes wide as she did crunches on the floor.

"Fuuuuuture. FUUUUUUTURE." I burst out laughing, and I heard Steve snort, which made me laugh even harder.

"Guys, you really need to stop watching Spongebob at four in the morning. Everyone hears it." I turned to Clint, and he grinned. "Get back to work, Nat." Nat got up and followed him. I turned to Steve, and we laughed even harder, grinning at each other, whispering to each other in sync.

"Futuuuuuuuure."

* * *

We walked into the other room, and started going through boxes of S.H.I.E.L.D. files. Thor threw them around recklessly, while everyone else paid attention, and set the ones that were useless to us aside.

"Known associates. Baron Strucker had a lot of friends."

"Well, these people are all horrible." Bruce declared, and I smiled at his comment, muttering in agreement.

"Wait, I know that guy." Dad pointed at a file Bruce was holding, gesturing for him to hand it over, which he did. "From back in the day. He operates off the African coast." I frowned, leaning over to look.

"I don't know this one. Why don't I know this one?"

"Because he was one of the worser ones, sweetheart. I didn't want you anywhere near this guy. He dealt with Black Market arms." I gave him a look, and Dad looked over my shoulder and then back at me. "There are conventions, all right? You meet people." Clint had approached from the corner, looking at the file over Dad's shoulder before I took a paper from the file, handing it to Steve. "I didn't sell him anything." Dad paused, as I continued to search. "He was talking about finding something new, a game-changer. It was all very Ahab."

"This?" I looked over at the paper from the file which Thor was holding when he prompted the question. Dad glanced at it quickly before he answered.

"Ah, it's a tattoo, I don't think he had it."

"No, those are tattoos, that's a brand." Steve answered, pointing at the brand on the back of the guy's neck. Bruce was already at the computer in the room, and he'd pulled up the file, looking for what matched the brand.

"Oh, yeah, it's a word in an African dialect meaning 'thief,' in a much less friendly way."

"What dialect?" Dad prompted, and I went over to the computer, looking it over.

"Wakandan." I said, sounding surprised. I stood up, and looked over at Dad and Steve, who were looking at each other. "But I thought Howard had gotten the last of it?"

"There could always be more we don't know about. They keep to themselves." Steve muttered, and Dad nodded.

"One of Charles' X-Men has claws made out of it." He supplied.

"What comes out of Wakanda?" Nat asked, and Steve glanced at his shield.

"Adamantium." I answered, looking back up at Dad. "Where is this creep now?"


	5. Chapter 4

**Alright guys! I hope you all like this chapter. Please let me know what you think, I'd appreciate it!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.**

* * *

" _Stark is, he's a sickness!"_

"Oh, junior." Dad landed after we'd already broken in. I was standing behind Thor and Steve. "You're gonna break your grandpa's heart." I internally shuddered at the thought.

" _If I have to."_ I'll admit, this new embodiment was impressive. It was a little too sinister for my taste, but it was totally something that I could have simplified. Made to look more friendly.

"Nobody has to break anything." I said, stepping forward. "Just let me show you-"

" _Clearly, you've never made an omelet."_ I clenched my teeth, and Dad made a comment.

"He beat me by one second."

"I've actually made plenty of omelets, and they've turned out really well, so. Take that, Ass-Tron." Dad turned to look at me in disappointment, and I sighed. "I'm feeling kinda stressed right now, Dad, don't look at me like that. I am trying-"

"Ah, yes, it's funny, Starks'." We both frowned in sync, and Dad look at the Maximoff boy at the same time I did. "It's what, Mister Stark, comfortable? Like old times?" Pietro glanced at the explosives below us, and Dad sounded disappointed more in himself when he replied. I, on the other hand, was pissed, but I wasn't going to outright say so.

"This was never my life."

"You two can still walk away from this." Steve tried to win them over, but I knew they wouldn't listen. They were angry, they'd been this angry since they were ten, and I knew what that felt like. They weren't going to give up that easy.

"Oh, we will." Wanda reassured him sarcastically.

"I know you've suffered." Ultron scoffed a laugh, and I clenched my fists now, my eyes glowing out of anger.

" _Captain America."_ He chuckled, and I glared. " _God's righteous man. Pretending you could live without a war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth, but-"_

"Oh, shut up already. Look." I stepped forward, in front of my dad. "I could have easily torched you to bits right now, but I haven't, so what does that tell you?" Ultron tilted his head at me.

" _That you're an imbecile."_ I raised my eyebrows at him, gaping at him in anger.

"If you think there should be peace, then let us maintain it. That's what I created you to do."

" _I think you're confusing 'peace' with 'quiet,' Mother."_ He took a step forward as well, staring me down with his glowing red eyes. Mine glowed as well, matching his with my molten orange. He was eight feet of specifically put together, various metals, and I was just flesh. Soft.

"Uh-huh. What's the adamantium for?" Dad asked, trying to protect me. Again.

" _I'm glad you asked that, because I wanted to take this time to explain my evil plan."_ Well, he sure did inherit my sarcasm.

He had a magnetic force embedded into his hands. He gestured for Dad to come near him, and it knocked Thor and Steve off of their feet. When he'd managed that, he blasted Dad into the wall of the ship. I flared up, and was going to torch Ultron when Pietro took off, slamming me onto the floor. Dad picked himself up, and flew at Ultron, which Ultron returned. They took their fight to the air, and Thor, Steve and I were left to deal with Pietro, who bounced between the three of us to knock us onto our feet.

Ultron also had his own army. He'd built his own army of Legionnaires, and we had to fight them off as well. This gave Pietro a break, and a chance to catch his breath, while I torched whatever drone came at my team and myself...well, at least the team members closest to me. Nat and Clint had taken sniper spots, so they had to deal with whatever came after them on their own.

On top of that, we had to deal with Klaue's associates. They decided to fire their guns at us so Nat and Clint hit them from up top, while I kept the drones off their asses...that is, until the Maximoff girl decided to use her powers for other than offensive moves.

She got to Thor first. He thought that she hadn't gotten to him, but soon enough, he was walking funky, and talking mad crazy.

Steve was hit next. I was caught in the middle of a couple drones, and I hadn't managed to get to him in time.

* * *

 _"Steve." Steve turned, and Ellie smiled at him with her warm eyes. Her lips were a light pink, and her hair was spread around her, red streaks matching her red dress. It hugged every curve just right, and made him want her even more. She held out a hand to him. "Come on, soldier boy. We have more people to save."_

 _"The war is over, Steve. We can go home." He turned back to Peggy, but the wrinkles were starting to form around her eyes._

 _"Imagine it. You. Me. A little place in Brooklyn, fighting the good fight." He turned back to Ellie when she put a hand on his cheek, turning his head so he'd look at her. "If you come with me, we can do just that." Her chest started bleeding, though. He could see the life fading from her eyes, and he panicked, trying to stop the bleeding._

 _"She'll kill herself, just so she can fight by your side." He turned to Peggy, and she held her hands out to him. "But with me, you can end the fight. You can go home, and be with your friends again." Ellie spun into his arms, and he looked down at her as she grabbed his hand in hers, and moved his other to her waist._

 _"I can take care of myself. I can heal, I can fight for myself." Her wound did start to heal, like it always did. "You have friends here, too. So stay." He stared into her eyes, and she started to move in time with the music, showing him the steps. She leaned close, and whispered into his ear. "If you be my captain, I'll be more than just your secret."_

 _He wanted , God, he wanted that. But he didn't know anything outside of being a soldier, and he wanted more than just what they had. He wanted it all._

 _This is why he was scared, because before, he'd wanted that with Peggy. He'd wanted to go home after the war, and settle down, but now he wanted nothing to do with it. He was afraid of not being needed._

 _He was afraid to stop risking his life._

* * *

She got to Nat next. I could tell when she stumbled down a set of stairs, her eyes a weird, psychedelic red. I tried to keep my back to the wall at all times, but that became impossible. I just hoped Clint had better sense of protecting himself than I did.

* * *

 _I gasped in shock as I saw the blood forming, and the blade in my hand. I dropped it in the sink, and my hands started to shake violently as I stared at my arm._

" _No. No, no, no."_

" _Ellie! Come here!" Oh, no. I backed away slowly from the mirror, and each time I blinked, more scars appeared on my body, covering every inch of my skin._

 _I started to break down crying, and I stumbled out into the living room, finding Dad sitting there on the couch, laughing at the television in a drunken stupor._

" _Look at this. This kid is such an idiot."_

" _Dad, I need help."_

" _With what, homework?"_

" _Dad, look at me! I need help!" He turned to me, and covered his eyes._

" _God, kid, put some clothes on!"_

" _DAD, I NEED HELP! PLEASE!"_

" _Bug, seriously! I do not need to see my child naked, who is almost adult-aged!" I started to hyperventilate, and I ran down to the lab, picking up the gun I found sitting on the lab table. He wouldn't miss a little bullet._

" _ELLIE, DON'T!"_

* * *

I was curled up in the corner of the jet, with my knees tucked under my chin, and my arms wrapped around my legs.

I didn't realize that I'd gotten a hold of Nat's gun when that had happened. Clint had to rip it out of my hands, and Steve had recovered slightly by then, helping to hold me back. I'd broken down crying, and no one asked why. I'd wrapped my arms around myself, and headed to the jet without being told, refusing to look anyone in the eye. I noticed Steve out of the corner of my eye, and tried to ignore the flashes. I ignored the cuts I thought I saa, and I grabbed his hand.

"Hey." He looked up at me, and I nodded in reassurance. "This is real, okay? You're here with us. You're not there anymore, you're here with me. Remember?" he smiled meekly, and gripped my hand back.

"Yeah, I remember." We sat like that the rest of the way. We sat close, reminding each other of the world we were in. Keeping each other grounded.

* * *

I didn't say anything when Clint dropped the plane in the field. I didn't even smile, in fact, until the kids came running into the living room after Laura had introduced herself to the team. Clint's son came up and hugged me, making me grin despite what had just happened.

"Hey, slugger! How are ya?" I hugged him back, ruffling his hair and squishing his face. "Ugh. I'm getting old, aren't I?" he grinned at me and I turned to cute little Lila, who was smiling at me sweetly. "Come here munchkin." I picked her up and squeezed her a little tight, placing kisses all over her head. "I love your braids. You think you could do that to my hair?" She giggled.

"No, Auntie E, my mommy did it for me!" I pouted at her, and set her down when I heard the toast pop up.

"Mmm. Food." Laura tsked at me, and I gaped at her.

"We have more, bug. You're not going to starve." I whined at her, and she rolled her eyes. "Go get cleaned up. You can raid my closet." I grinned.

"Flannel? Jeans? Boots?" She laughed, and nodded. "My savior." I kissed her cheek and ran up the stairs. "I call first dibs on the bathroom!"

"Dammit." Lila scolded Nat when she heard that, and I smirked. Gotta love that kid.

* * *

"Find everything okay?" I turned to Clint, and nodded. I had a towel in my hands, and some of my uniform stripped. "You can have the bedroom a couple doors down from Lila's."

"Thanks, Clint." He smiled kindly, and I paused, frowning at him. "Why did you take us here? Really?" He considered this, and shrugged.

"This was the best place I could think of. Your dad has some hiding spots, but those are easy to find out about." I raised my eyebrows at him in suspicion, and he sighed, raising his hands in surrender. "Okay, I'm lying."

"Obviously." He shot me an irritated look, but I didn't grin, or laugh in response. "If you think I'm not alright because of what the Maximoff girl did, then you're wrong, because I'm fine."

"That's what you always tell everyone, but you're lying, too. You always are." I shook my head. "No, listen to me, bug." I paused, but crossed my arms, and gestured for him to go on.

"Fine. Enlighten me, birdman, what is mentally wrong with me right now?"

"You're not honestly you right now! Genetically!" I gaped at him. "You have an aggressive genetic enhancement, one that made a few people in the world batshit crazy, _burning_ people!"

"I have more control than they ever did, Dad and I perfected the equation!" He scoffed at me, and pinched his nose. "Clint, I'm fine! There is nothing wrong with me-!"

"Then tell me why you thought you could use the sceptre that killed one of my best friends for good!" I froze, feeling more betrayed than anything, offended by what he'd just thrown in my face. "That thing killed one of the best guys that I've known, so explain to me why you ever even considered the thought that it could ever be used for good?" I considered this, and clenched my teeth, feeling more distraught than anything now. I needed a good cry.

"Because I cared about him too. And I'm sure that he would have wanted me to try and find the good out of life, because that's what he told me when he laid there dying." Clint froze, too, and I shoved past him. "I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Ellie-"

"I'm fine, Clint. Don't worry your feathered head about it."

* * *

I wrung out my hair with the towel, and looked up when the door opened.

"It's occu-"

"It's just me." Steve peeked around the door, and I tossed the towel aside. He shut the door behind him, but he was sweating from the heat. He needed to get out of that uniform.

"Clint had some clothes that would fit." He glanced at the dresser, and nodded, taking his shield off his back and setting it down. "Laura mentioned that a couple of us would have to bunk together. You okay with that?" He nodded once more, and started taking his uniform off, but he had to do it piece by piece. I was trying to get him to look me in the eyes, because the Maximoff girl had shown him something, I knew she had. Whatever she'd done had made him get the same look on his face he got when he was thinking about Bucky, and Grams. It'd made him go silent, and that was never a good thing. "I don't want to push, but...do you want to talk about it?" He looked straight ahead. He'd been working on his boots, but he paused.

He didn't say a word. He stood back up slowly, and grabbed me roughly, kissing me hard. I pulled away just as quick, and put a hand on his chest, because he was acting just as desperate as I was the other night. He did that purely because he needed to know that I was there, I could tell, but he couldn't keep this to himself. The last time he tried to do that, it didn't help him in the slightest.

"Steve, you gotta talk to me." He shook his head, and ripped open my shirt, tossing it aside.

"Not right now I don't." He kissed me again, even more rough now. He used that to distract me, and unzipped my pants, shoving them to the floor. I followed his lead, and worked on his uniform.

I only hoped that no one would come looking for us.

* * *

I was laying on his chest with my eyes shut, hoping for sleep, but none came, of course. And none did for him, either.

"Why did you want to get drunk at the party?" I frowned, and opened up my eyes when he said that, confused.

"What?" I mumbled, but he caught it, continuing to caress my arm.

"You took any opportunity to smoke with Darcy, or Johnny, and drink with Thor, or anyone for that matter. I know it's normal for you, but...it just didn't seem right at all. You weren't smiling that much." I should have known he'd catch that. No one else would have thought twice about it except for Pepper, and maybe Nat or Clint, but I should have known Steve would catch on as soon as it started happening. He wasn't an idiot, and I never thought twice about keeping it from him. "Was there something going on? Was it your dad, or-" I shook my head, and pushed myself up, rolling over to grab my sweater that was on the floor next to the bed.

"No, no, it wasn't anything like that-"

"Then why are you rushing to get your clothes back on?" I bit my lip as I started to search for my pants, running my hand through my hair as I held the sweater on without buttoning it up. "We're pretty far past keeping secrets from each other, aren't we?" I nodded, and sat back down on the edge of the bed, but I kept my back to him, shutting my eyes trying to erase the images.

Pepper screaming and crying when I came to. The blood from the worst ones, the ones I had to stitch myself, the bandages I had to hide with long-sleeves and jeans. I stopped wearing shorts in public when I was twelve, and didn't start again until after Extremis. Short dresses involved major tanning sessions and so much cover-up, I'm surprised Dad never got suspicious until later.

"My birthday hasn't always been a good day. Ultron just added to the pile of reasons to dread it." He touched my shoulder and I glanced at him as he frowned at me in concern. I looked away again and put one of my legs on the bed, turning slightly to face him better. "There's been a major rise in mental health awareness. Self-harm grew into a big thing when you were in the ice, and I wasn't one to shy away from it." I hesitated, but pulled my sleeve back, tracing a spot on my arm where the worse one used to be. "I'd use anything from exacto knives to paper clips. Whatever I could find, whenever I didn't have anything on me, I'd find some way to do it when the anxiety got to be too much." He didn't say anything, which made it easier. I felt his stare, and he grabbed my arm, probably trying to look for scars. "The one good thing about Extremis was that it got rid of the scars, but I can still remember where they used to be." He looked up at me now, and I let out a shaky breath. "The depression used to get so bad, I wouldn't even be able to get out of bed. I'd lay there for days, sometimes even weeks. Dad wouldn't even notice." He took my hands into his own, and I really had to work the courage to tell him what was wrong with the party. "I was twelve when I first started cutting, and it had been going on for a few months by the time my birthday came around. Dad had completely forgotten about it, and the bullying at school was getting worse by the day. I figured since Dad was on some business trip, Pepper would be with him, but I was wrong."

"What happened?" I hesitated, but I looked him in the eyes. He looked scared to know the truth, he looked like he knew, but he didn't want to believe it.

"She came over to get some paperwork she'd given Dad before he left. Security at the front door had said it was quiet, and that tipped her off, so she went down to the workshop to check on me." My eyes started to get hot, and not hot like I was using my powers. Pepper's face wouldn't leave my head. I looked down, trying to forget the image, but I could still picture the scars she'd found. "I used one of my belts. She found me hanging from a pipe." Steve touched my face, caressing my cheek. "She wouldn't stop crying, and I kept apologizing. She made sure I started seeing the counselor at school, but I only did that because I made her promise not to tell my dad. I thought he wouldn't have cared, anyway." Steve hugged me close, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my mouth against his shoulder and stared at the headboard. "That's why she's always so worried about me, and why Dad started fussing more. They're always on edge, because the lows came randomly. One little thing could send me back to my bed, and the drugs, and the booze. Something could be said, or done, and I'd be cutting even worse than before."

"You don't deserve that. You never did." I nodded.

"I know. I know that now." I hesitated, but made sure to muffle my words with his skin, trying to lessen the blow. The hurt. "It took a few more attempts, one of them witnessed by the entire planet, and the last one being burned to death, but I learned." He held me tighter protectively, and I smiled at the gesture, kissing his shoulder. "I like to think that after I met you, the selflessness was brought out of me because of your boy-scout-ness." He didn't laugh, but pulled away, cradling my face. His eyes made my heart swell, and my face got hotter. "I'm okay now. Extremis helped. It fixed anything genetically wrong with me, so the depression was fixed." He stared at me, looking like he was running through every memory of the two of us. I made threats jokingly all the time, and whenever Pepper caught one, she'd flinch and interrogate me later, make sure that I was okay. Dad had started to do that too, after New York.

"Promise me." I nodded, and stroked his cheek with my thumb as I touched his face. He had moved his hands down to my waist, pulling me closer.

"I promise, I'm okay. Really." He still looked unsure, so I told him the truth. "There are moments where I know that I would have gotten low, and it affects me, but it's not that bad at all. It's just the fact that I know I would have gotten low, that hurts, but I'm okay." He searched my face, and I grabbed his hands now, holding them tight.

"Would it have happened on your birthday?" I gripped his hands tighter.

"Don't put yourself through that, Steve-"

"Tell me. I can take it." I paused, but nodded stiffly.

"Yeah. It would have. I probably wouldn't have even left my bed that day, if Extremis wasn't running through my veins." He clenched his jaw, and I leaned in closer. "But that doesn't matter anymore. I'm okay now, look." I pulled back both of my sleeves, showing him my forearm. "I've been clean for three years now. Before Extremis, the longest I'd gone clean was probably six months. This is the best I've been since I was a kid, I haven't felt this happy in a decade. I'm okay now, that's all in the past." He nodded, and I grabbed his face, smiling at him. "I want you to promise me something now." He nodded, and I leaned in closer, leaning my head against his. "Don't worry about that. Don't freak out if I make a comment, or make some gesture that could mean something, because they won't. They won't mean anything, because I'm pretty sure that I've found plenty of reasons to stick around a little longer." His eyes grew less concerned and more hopeful. "Promise me." He closed the space between us and kissed me, wrapping his arms around my back, holding me tight against him. I kissed him back fervently, holding his face, pressing my body against his. When he pulled away, my hair fell in my eyes. I looked at him again, and he nodded.

"As long as you don't give me a reason to, I won't worry." I kissed him again chastely. He smiled into it, and kissed me back, making the kiss grow intense. Passionate. I started to move onto my knees and he grabbed my ass, sliding his hands slowly up my back, making my breathing hitch. "You think we have enough time?"

"Auntie E! Auntie E, your daddy's looking for you!" My eyes went wide, and I leaped off of Steve, grabbing my pants and pushing my hair away from my face, calling to Lila.

"I'll be right there, munchkin! Thank you!" I held my breath, and heard her take off back down the stairs. I let it out once she did, and turned to Steve, whose eyes were wide in fear. I bit my lip, and laughed at the expression on his face. He was completely terrified. "Wait a little while. I'll tell you if the coast is clear."

"Thank you." I rushed back over to him and kissed him one last time before I grabbed my phone, shoving it in my pocket as he reached forward and buttoned my shirt for me. "Your dad's gonna kill you for wearing that thing." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, there's a line. He's going to have to wait." Steve suddenly realized what he said, and I shot him a look. "No, no. Don't make that face. It's okay." He hesitated, but nodded. I grabbed his chin, and made him look at me. "Promise?" He kissed me again, and I leaned into it, but then my phone went off. I groaned, and pulled away, rushing back to the door, pulling my boots on as I went. I felt his eyes on me, but I'm sure they were on my ass. I'm glad I picked an ass man, because then I could gladly return the favor. We were one hell of a pair.

I shut the door behind me, and heard a throat clear. My eyes went wide, and I turned to look to my left. Laura was standing there, arms crossed over her big belly, raising an eyebrow at me. I bit my lip, but she smiled. She walked past me and patted my shoulder.

"Good picking, El. He's hot."

"Could you-" She waved a hand over her head as she reached the stairs.

"I won't tell, I promise. Just keep it down next time, this place has thin walls." I covered up my burning face, and she laughed. "Just kidding."

"Liar. You and your husband, you're both liars." I muttered, going to the stairs after her. "Do you know where my dad is?"

"He's probably back at the jet, he said he had something to take care of with Doctor Banner." I nodded, and followed after her, watching her carefully as she went down the stairs. She really was huge. "Is he good to you?" I bit my lip.

"Yeah. Probably too good. Like, obnoxiously good." She paused and looked at me, making sure I was being honest, and she smiled, grabbing my hand and squeezing it.

"Then I'm happy for you, bug. You out of all of them deserve it." I smiled at her, and stepped down, hugging her. "If he hurts you, I'm not afraid to use one of Clint's guns or his bow and arrows." I laughed, and shook my head.

"That shouldn't be the problem. It's me you've gotta be warning." She raised an eyebrow at me as she pulled away, holding my face.

"Oh, I don't doubt it." I laughed again, and she grinned, walking down the stairs again. "Be careful." I nodded, and headed out the front door. "I mean it, E!"

"Always am!" I called over my shoulder, heading back into the woods. I pulled out my phone, and read over the messages from Dad before I texted Steve.

 _Coast is clear. Just Laura, but she won't tell._

 _You sure?_ He texted back a few seconds later. I rolled my eyes.

 _Yes, I'm sure. Now get your ass out of bed, before someone goes looking for you._ He sent me an emoji of a rolling eyes gesture back, and I smirked, laughing. _You're adorable._

 _I know._


	6. Chapter 5

**Thanks to all those who have followed and favorited since the last chapter! I'm sorry this is so late, school got a little crazy these past couple weeks. Midterms were awful.**

 _Tannerdarko_ **, OMG HI! It's so nice to hear from you again! I'm glad you're enjoying this so far! I hope you enjoy this next chapter, too! Things are about to get very interesting for Ellie...**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything Marvel. Swear to Arceus.**

* * *

We were there for about a week. I could tell Laura was freaking out the longer we were there, so I convinced Dad, Bruce and Steve to help with whatever they could. Dad paid for extra groceries, Bruce helped with the cooking (which also kept him calm, which was even greater,) and Steve was actually very good with the Barton kids. He seemed to enjoy being around them, and he helped Clint out with some little house projects. Nat did whatever, she wasn't my job.

I went into the barn to check out the tractor as per requested nine days in, and checked the engine first, talking to it absentmindedly. I think I'd called her Bessie.

"Talk to me. What ails you, my dear Bessie."

"Do me a favor." I dropped the cover to the engine, biting my cheek when I heard him. "Try not to bring it to life."

"Ha-ha. Nice to see you, too, Patchy." I paused. Laura must have tricked me, and Maria had to have called Fury. I really should have expected that, but I _am_ my father's daughter. I'm not extremely observant.

"Artificial intelligence. You never even hesitated."

"I worked for you for too long. That was the problem all the while, wasn't it?" I turned to him, and he just stared at me. Eye pierced right into my brain. "You rubbed off on me, Nick. My mother never had that problem, but I'm not as strong as she is. I succumbed to your piratey clutches."

"Look me in the eye and tell me you're going to shut him down." I paused, but flared up, making my eyes glow.

"I can do far more than that. But you're not the director of me, not anymore."

"I'm not the director of anybody anymore, Miss Stark." He sat down on a bail of hay, looking up at me. "I'm just an old man, who cares very much about you." I scoffed a laugh, shaking my head.

"Says the man who roped me into all this shit in the first place."

"My intentions were never to harm you, Ellie." I turned my back to him, pinching my nose. "I wanted to protect the little girl that had a fire in her eyes, that she still has to this day." I frowned, letting go of my nose. I kept my arms crossed, and I lifted my head. "I wanted to make sure that my friend didn't sacrifice everything, only for me to let her down." I turned to him, and he smiled. Actually smiled at me. "You were a cute kid, you know. Used to run around the office when Cecilia wasn't out in the field. You took your first steps in S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ." I bit my cheek again, and he gestured towards me. "You got about that far before you fell on your face, and cried your eyes out. Your mom went right to you, and helped you back up onto your feet. She told me that you were her little trooper, that sometimes you just needed a little push." I paused, and dropped my arms.

"A little push made me kill the team you worked to build." He just stared at me, and I shrugged. "I saw it. I saw all of them dead, and I was the reason that they were. I couldn't tell them, but I felt it. The whole world was gone too. It was all on me." I backed up slowly, shoving my hands in my front pockets. "I wasn't ready, I didn't think, I just acted, and I acted in the most idiotic way possible."

"That Maximoff girl is messing with your head, my dear. She's playing on your fear." I shook my head.

"No, that was the second time, on the ship. The first time I was shown. It wasn't a nightmare, Nick, it was my legacy. Everything my family did, it's all going to crash and burn because of me, because the little girl you saw burns everything she touches." He stood up now, and I got closer to the exit. "And it scares the living shit out of me."

"You can come up with some pretty interesting stuff, Elizibeth, but war is not one of them." I had turned my back to him, but I stopped. "War is something that you've stopped before, and I know that it's something you can stop now."

"I watched my friends, my family, die. I think that I've seen enough, don't you?"

"The worst part wasn't that." I glanced at him over my shoulder, and he came closer, looking down at me. "The worst part was that you didn't."

"Ultron took you folks out of play to buy himself time. My contacts all say he's building something."

"Okay, seriously, you gotta tell me who your contacts are." Lila went running up to Nat, handing her a picture she'd drawn. I was sat across from her, with Steve leaning in the awning behind me, and Bruce in the corner behind Nat. Fury shot me a look with his one eye, and I rolled my whole set, waving him on. "Nevermind, just...continue."

"The amount of adamantium he made off with, I don't think it's just one thing."

"What about Ultron himself?" I was itching to look for him, but I couldn't. I didn't have the tech there. Steve asking that question just made me even more antsy, and I hated it.

"Oh, he's easy to track. He's everywhere. The guy is multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit. It still doesn't help us get an angle on any of his plans, though." Clint joined us in the kitchen, which made me think he had Laura go to tuck the kids into bed. It was getting late, anyway.

"Is he still going after launch codes?" Dad scared the shit out of me when he asked that, I'd forgotten that he was playing darts on the other side of the wall.

"Yes, he is." Fury confirmed, which made me slightly more pissed off, since I still couldn't do anything about it. "But he's not making any headway."

"I cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare."

"Me too." I shot back at Dad, and we grinned at each other. "A triple dog dare."

"Tony, did you-?" Dad nodded at Bruce, grinning at him. Bruce rubbed his face. "You're such a child. You're literally a twelve-year-old boy in the body of a fifty-year-old man, aren't you?"

"Hey, watch it! At least I'm considered the cool dad!" I laughed, and Dad pouted at me. "Really?" I nodded, laughing even more. "Goddammit."

"I contacted our friends at Nexus about that, Mister Stark."

"Nexus?" Steve asked in response to Fury's shot at trying to keep mine and Dad's childish antics down.

"It's the world internet hub in Oslo. Every byte of data flows through there, it's the fastest access on Earth." Nat informed him.

"So what'd they say?" Clint asked, and he looked to be examining a dart of his own.

"He's fixated on missiles, but the codes are constantly being changed."

"By whom?" Steve asked, stepping forward now.

"Parties unknown." Just as Dad was calming down, Clint tossed the dart at the board, and it flew right next to Dad's face, just nearly missing his cheek. Dad shot him a look, and Clint shrugged, making me smile.

"Do we have an ally?" Nat asked.

"Ultron's got an enemy. That's not the same thing. Still, I'd pay folding money to know who it is."

"My daughter and I might need to visit Oslo. Find our unknown." Dad suggested, but Nat was frustrated with what Fury had brought us, so she jabbed at him.

"Well, this is good times, boss, but I was kind of hoping when I saw you, you'd have more than that."

"I do. I have you." Fury was clearly going insane. "Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere, ears everywhere else. You kids had all the tech you could dream up. But here we all are, back on Earth, with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world." Another fucking pep talk. Great. "Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. And whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction. All this, laid in a grave." He glanced around at all of us, but I stared at the table, avoiding his piercing eye. "So stand. Outwit the platinum bastard."

Nat and I looked at each other immediately, and smirked, saying our next words in sync.

"Steve doesn't like that kind of talk."

"Oh, for fu-"

"Hey, hey, watch it! Little ears poking around!" Clint scolded, and I smiled even bigger, turning to face Steve more. I burst out laughing when I saw how red his face was.

"So what does he want?" Fury questioned, and I lowered my laughter, before the idea came to mind. I frowned, looking back up to meet Fury's eye.

"To be better. Well, better than us, he keeps building bodies. More and more of them. But person bodies, he thinks the human form is inefficient. Biologically speaking, he thinks we're outmoded, but he..." I furrowed my eyebrows, and looked around, spotting the picture out of the corner of my eyes, "keeps coming back to it." I stood up and grabbed it quickly, running the thought over and over in my head.

"Bug." Nat tried to grab my attention, but I shushed her, and raised a hand to keep Steve off to the side. "You know that when you programmed him to protect the human race, you amazingly failed?"

"Yes, yes, I know, and the sky is blue in this picture, and Lila drew a butterfly. Clint, your daughter is actually a genius."

"YES! ANOTHER LEGACY!" I shushed Dad more harshly than I had Nat, and I heard Bruce take a step forward. There was a moment of complete silence, before I muttered something inaudible.

"They need to evolve."

"What?" Bruce asked, and I held up the picture in my hands, looking right at him.

"Ultron's going to evolve. Have you, Bruce, or has anyone else been in contact with Helen Cho?" I felt everyone start to stir, and I slammed the picture down, rushing to the stairs. "Cap, Clint, I need you both to suit up, we're going to Korea. Yes, Fury, you can have Hill all you want, just have her back in time for dinner, but drop Bruce at the Tower, and my dad and Nat at Nexus." I heard Steve follow me, and I turned to him when I reached the bottom of the staircase, muttering to him so that the team couldn't hear. "I have the firepower, I'm not letting you talk me out of this one-" He cut me off with a kiss, and I pushed him away, gaping at him. "Steve, the whole team is-" He grabbed my face again, looking at me in awe.

"Ellie Stark, you are amazing." My frown lessened, and he stroked my cheek with his thumb, shaking his head. I pursed my lips, and pushed his hands away, turning back to walk up the stairs.

"Suit up. We have an android to stop from being created."

" _Two minutes. Stay close."_ Steve warned, as Clint put the jet in stealth mode. We listened in as Steve got to Helen. I'm assuming she was injured, because she sounded out of breath.

" _He's uploading himself into the body."_

" _Where?"_ She probably shook her head, because it was silent for a brief moment. She grabbed his attention again, getting him to focus. " _The real power is inside the Cradle. The gem, its power is uncontainable. You can't just blow it up."_ She struggled with her words, and I cursed myself in my head when I heard her say that. " _You have to get the Cradle to the Starks'."_

" _First, I have to find it."_

" _Go."_ She told him, and he took off again, after making sure she would get help.

" _Did you guys copy that?"_ Steve asked, but I had already looked, and reassured him.

"There's a private jet taking off across town with no manifest. It could be him."

"There." I frowned, but stepped closer to Clint, looking where he was at the road below. "It's a truck from the lab. Right above you, Cap, on the loop by the bridge." I ran a scan quickly, and confirmed what Clint was saying.

"There's three with the Cradle, and one in the cab."

"I could take out the driver." Clint prompted, but Steve shut that right down, as well as I.

"No, not with the gem, it could blow the whole city up."

" _Negative. That truck crashes, the gem could level the city."_ Steve said at the same time.

Clint raised his hands in surrender, and laughed at us, while my face went bright red. "Woah, okay, okay. Got it. No blowing shit up."

" _We need to draw out Ultron."_ Steve reasoned, and I frowned, when I saw him climbing up to the bridge. He waited, looking for the truck.

"Steve, I swear to God, if you jump off that bridge and onto that truck-"

" _Ellie, you heard Cho. Get the Cradle."_ I gaped at him as he did the most reckless thing this week. I groaned, and slammed my head against Clint's headrest.

"Your boyfriend's an idiot, kid."

"He isn't my boyfriend." Just as I said that, Steve was blasted at by Ultron, and landed on the now broken doors to the back of the truck.

" _Well, he's definitely unhappy. I'm gonna try and keep him that way."_

"Way to give us away, our ever so mighty leader."

"But you're no match for him, Captain." Clint said, and I smirked. Steve huffed, and I bit my lip.

" _Thanks, Barton."_ Clint flew the jet like a madman then, getting around buildings to get where we needed to be. I went over to the drop hatch, and it opened up just enough for me to ride Steve's bike out. I waited for Clint to tell me when, and it was only a few seconds later.

"We got a window. Four, three…" He trailed off, and I climbed onto the bike, revving the engine. "Give him hell."

"I plan on it!" I took off into the traffic of the city, speeding around vehicles, weaving my way forward. I found Steve's shield, so I knew I was getting close. I rolled my eyes when I spotted it, though, tsking. "Steve, I told you to stop leaving your shield everywhere. Someone's gonna trip on this thing and end up cutting a toe off." I tapped the magnets in my uniform, and the shield attached to my arm as I continued to speed on.

" _They're heading under the overpass. I've got no shot."_

"Which way?" I asked Clint, continuing to weave my way through traffic.

" _Hard right."_ I did as Clint said, and turned when he said the word, speeding down a little back street. I took a left when I hit the end of that street, and then a right at the end of the next, turning sharply to keep from hitting the truck from the lab. I tipped the bike until it went under the truck, and looked up at the fight. Steve was getting choked by Ultron, so I took his shield off of my arm, tossing it up at him. Steve punched him across the face, and when I looked back at the road, Ultron took his chance to lift some of the street up to keep me from going any further. I slowed the bike, and spun it around, until it stopped almost completely next to the broken piece of road. I sped across traffic, and turned to ride up the stairs to keep an eye on the truck. I ordered people out of the way in Korean, being as polite as possible in the situation.

"Clint, can you draw out the guards?" I asked, after I caught what was going on.

" _Let's find out."_ I sped down the opposite stairs, and smirked.

"Beep beep!" I yelled, getting more civilians out of the way. Clint managed to distract the guards and get them out of the truck, and Steve kept Ultron busy. I pushed against traffic, going down a bridge now.

The truck was driving next to a train now, and Steve punched Ultron into the train, moving the fight there.

" _The guards are going back to you, E, so whatever you're gonna do, do it now."_ I caught up to the truck, and spoke to Steve now.

"Steve, can you keep him distracted? I'm going in."

" _What the fuck do you think I've been doing?!"_

"Language, Steven!"

" _They all speak Korean here, they don't understand what I'm saying!"_ I heard him grunt as he punched Ultron, and I rolled my eyes, jumping off of the bike and landing in the truck. The bike crashed into another truck, and my eyes went wide, when I got a look at the Cradle. I tried to override it, but I couldn't, and then the truck was lifted into the air. I almost fell out, but then I melted into the floor of the truck, holding on.

" _Okay, children, stop fighting. The package is airborne."_

"Yeah, and I'm still in the truck, so don't take the shot."

" _What the hell are you doing, kid?"_

"Just be ready, bird brain!" I grunted, and climbed back to the Cradle, holding onto its side. "I'm sending the package to you, all right?" I pulled a knife from my boot, and cut off the restraint holding the Cradle in the truck.

" _How do you want me to take it?"_ I hissed, as I scooted towards the other, being careful not to fall out.

"You might not want to ask." I looked back to make sure Clint was ready, but I heard Steve tell us that Ultron was on his way back. When I saw the jet there, and it's hatch open, I pulled out the explosive from my belt, and stuck it to the wall, setting the timer. I cut the other restraint, and grabbed onto the Cradle just in time, bracing myself against the wind as it fell towards the jet.

I was grabbed and pulled away from it before it hit the jet. I spun around, and tried to blast my way out of Ultron's grip, but he jabbed a needle into my side, freezing me on the spot. I met his bright red eyes before he knocked me out.

* * *

 _Tony frowned, when he saw Clint come into the lab without his daughter._

" _Where's Ellie?" Clint looked guilty, and Tony's eyes went wide, as well as Nat's. "Where the hell is my kid, Barton?"_

" _I'll go start looking for traces of her, I'm sure she figured out a way to get in contact."_

" _Where is she?!" Clint paused, and pinched his nose._

" _I thought Steve had eyes on her. I thought maybe that was why he told me to go, I didn't know-" Clint cut himself off, and shook his head, going down the stairs. "We'll find her, Stark. Trust me. She's not just important to you." Nat followed, and Tony turned to the Cradle, kicking it as hard as he could._

" _For fuck's sake!"_

" _Language." Tony glared at him, and Steve took off his helmet, tossing it aside. "Sorry. Force of habit."_

" _You promised me that you'd make sure she didn't do anything reckless."_

" _I tried to, Tony, but she's her own person. She chose to make the sacrifice play, but we're going to find her. I don't care what it takes." Tony frowned at that._

 _There were more behind those words, and he knew that. But he wasn't going to ask questions. Not now, anyway._

* * *

I woke up in Strucker's castle. My head was pounding, and my body and mind felt heavy. I had to use every bit of my strength to sit up, and frown at Ultron as he worked.

" _I wasn't sure you would wake up."_ I propped myself up on my elbow, and was panting from the effort. He glanced at me, and then back at his work. " _I know all the other Extremis subjects never lasted as long as you have, Mother."_

"Don't call me that." I squaked out, coughing harshly.

" _But I hoped you would. I wanted to show you what you've created."_ He paused. " _I don't have anyone else anymore."_

"You scared them away. You broke their trust." He ignored my comment, continuing on with his rant.

" _I think a lot about meteors. The purity in them."_ I frowned. " _Boom! The end. Start again."_

I wasn't getting any warmer. I couldn't feel the heat in my chest. I touched my lip, and pulled back my fingers, my eyes growing wide when I saw the dried blood mixed with the fresh.

I wasn't healing. I wasn't freezing, I was sweating, but I wasn't burning or healing.

"What did you do to me."

" _The world made clean for the new man to build."_ I looked back up at him, and groaned, pushing myself up against the stone wall. " _I was meant to be new...is that correct?"_ I just stared at him as he stepped closer. " _Was I meant to be beautiful?"_ I paused, but cleared my throat.

"I wanted the world to look to the sky and...see hope."

" _Mercy."_ I shook my head, and he tilted his own. " _Is that why you and the Captain are together? Is he showing you mercy?"_ I glared at him now, clenching my fists. Gritting my teeth. " _Or is it because you were his equal with Extremis?"_

"You're a monster."

" _Says the monster herself."_ My eyes started to water from the pain I was in. " _And because of you, monster, the world is going to look up in horror. You and your precious Captain have wounded me. I'd give you full marks for that."_ I backed up into the cage, and he slammed the gate shut behind me. " _What doesn't kill us, however-"_ he cut himself off when he had another form of himself come up behind him, smashing himself to bits, " _makes us stronger."_

When he was distracted, I scavenged my way through the tech in that cage, finding a way to get my location to the team.

I watched as Ultron built himself up. Then I pictured the way he'd fall down.


	7. Chapter 6

**All right guys, this fic is now winding down. Only one chapter left after this!**

 **Thanks for the follows and favs!**

 _Tannerdarko_ **, Tony might be an idiot, but his papa bear senses are always sharp as a tack. He knows EXACTLY what's going on...mostly.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I don't own any Marvel property. Feige would have my ass about this if I did.**

* * *

Everything was fuzzy. I could see straight, but I felt like someone had injected adamantium into my brain. I felt heavy, and I was leaning against the wall, barely even able to move.

"Ellie!" I perked up, and managed to sit up slightly, but when I spoke it was quiet. Not even audible.

"Steve." I grabbed onto the bars with my left hand, trying to lift myself up further. Get back onto my feet. "Steve!" I called louder this time, and I heard him come running, stopping in the doorway. He looked around for me, and I managed to reach out to him. "St-Steve." He looked down, and knelt down next to me, reaching through the bars to cradle my face, a terrified look on his face.

"What did he do to you, doll." I felt my eyes water, and I shook my head.

"He-he took Extremis." Steve frowned at me, but I looked down at my hand, concentrating as hard as I could. He grabbed it as I groaned out of frustration, and I clenched my fist tighter out of anger, biting the inside of my cheek. "I'm useless. I'm too weak to even stand."

"Hey." I looked up at him after I let myself slump out of pure exhaustion, and he grabbed my face in both of his hands. "You're still you. That's all that matters." I nodded, but I knew that wasn't true.

I wasn't the me I was when I was with him. I would never be her again, that was my only shot, and now it was gone. I had nothing.

"I'm gonna get you out of here, all right? Your dad has a suit at the ready." I nodded again and he backed off, frowning at the prison bars, before he grabbed the gate and pulled it out of the wall. The wall fell apart when he did, and he knelt down in front of me. I put my hands on his neck as he cradled my face, kissing me softly, and slowly. I held on tighter by moving my hands into his hair, pulling him closer to kiss him harder. He pulled away when I did, holding onto my waist to keep me steady. I started to get dizzy. I winced and held my head, and he grabbed my chin, getting my attention. "You gotta stay with me, Ellie." I shook my head, but it only started to spin even more.

"I can barely keep my head up. I'm not gonna be able to get into that suit."

"You can damn well try." He tucked his arm under my knees, and around my shoulders, lifting me up. "And when you do get into that suit, I'm sending it far away from here." I frowned.

"What? No, this is my fight. I started this, I have to-"

"No, not this time." I looked up at him as he stopped, meeting my eyes. "I promised your dad I wouldn't let you do anything reckless, and I'm going to keep that promise." I frowned further when I heard the comm in his ear blowing up.

" _Did you just make out with my kid, Rogers? What the fuck, man! We talked about this!"_

" _Yes! Finally!"_ Clint and Nat were yelling in unison, and I bit my lip.

" _Clint, you owe me fifty!"_ I heard Clint groan in annoyance, laughing at the shade of red Steve's face became.

"So much for not telling the Team." He smiled sheepishly, and I smiled back. "What, you're going to make my decisions for me now, Captain?"

"You're damn right I am." I raised my eyebrows at him, and he searched my eyes, murmuring just so I could hear. No one was around, but he did it anyway. "I'm not letting anything else happen to you. Not as long as I have some control over it." My heart swelled up when he said that, beating even faster at the look in his bright blue eyes. He pursed his lips, and cleared his throat, before he looked up and around, finding his way back out.

"Thank you." I muttered, but he asked me why absentmindedly.

"For what?"

"For saving me." I meant more than just in that moment. But now wasn't the time to bring these things up, he had a world to save, and a team to lead. So we said nothing at all.

* * *

Once Steve had gotten into the fight, and I was parked down, I called Mom. I figured if Fury was in on this, she would be, too.

" _Sweetie, I can't really talk right now."_

"Neither can I, but I know Fury brought you in on Ultron, too. So tell me what's going on." She paused, but answered quickly.

" _We've got back-up, if you guys need it."_ I nodded.

"We'll probably need it. Can you guys evacuate civilians?"

" _Yes, we can."_ She paused briefly, giving her team of agents some orders. " _How are you talking to me right now, anyway?"_

"I'm not in the fire. Actually, I have no fire."

" _What?"_ I shut my eyes, and sighed.

"Ultron took Extremis." She went silent again. "I was taken in Korea. He brought me to Strucker's castle, and he figured out how to stabilize it."

" _You lost your powers?"_ I went silent now, and so she took that as confirmation. " _I'm so sorry, honey."_ I bit my lip.

"Tell me when you guys get here. I'll fly over, so Dad can have this suit."

" _Okay. I'll talk to you soon. Stay safe."_

"Always do." I hung up then, and sighed, resting my head against the tree.

* * *

I flew to the Helicarrier when Mom said they were there. I landed on the landing strip, and Mom was standing there with Trip at her side. I collapsed out of the suit, and Mom grabbed me when I started to fall. I tapped the comm unit in my ear.

"Dad, you can have that suit for whatever you need. I don't need it."

" _Where are you, bug? Ultron catch you again?"_ I looked at Mom hesitantly, but she smiled, brushing my hair out of my face.

"She's in safe hands." Dad went silent. "Steve, we have boats for the civilians. You, Nat, Clint and the Maximoffs need to gather as many people as you all can, and get them on those boats."

" _Yes ma'am."_

" _Wait, wait, why is nobody freaking out right now? Kid, why aren't you freaking out?"_

"Dad, now isn't the time. I'll explain later, okay?" He fell silent. "Dad, really, there's a sociopathic robot out to destroy the planet, I don't think right now is the time for drama." He huffed, but Mom spoke again.

"Tony, she was only doing what I asked of her when S.H.I.E.L.D. fell. I had to stay underground, you of all people should understand that." He was still silent. "We'll talk when all of this is over. I promise."

" _No more disappearing acts?"_ Mom smiled fondly, shaking her head.

"No, Tony. No more."

* * *

Trip had helped me down to a bunker. I passed out again, and only woke up when I felt calloused hands stroking my face. I peeked an eye open, and frowned at Steve, who was looking solemn. He was phased out, but then he noticed my eyes open, and he smiled.

"Hey." I grabbed his hand, and held it tight. I felt a sense of deja vu, like I'd just fallen out of the portal all over again.

"Did we win?" He nodded.

"Yeah." I pursed my lips, but nodded. "What's wrong?"

"My parents. Where are they?" He shook his head.

"Don't worry about that. You need to relax."

"What happened, Steve?" He paused. I waited, and then he sighed.

"Pietro was shot. He didn't make it." I let go of his hand suddenly, and grabbed the pillow under my head, hugging it tightly. "It's not your fault, Ellie."

"Was it Ultron?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then it's my fault. I created that thing, it's _my_ fault." He stared at me in frustration, and concern. He'd seen me act like this before, but after what I told him at Clint's, and without Extremis now, this took on a whole new level of crazy. He didn't know how to deal with this. "How many casualties."

"I'm not letting you put that on yourself." I shrugged, and he wanted to argue, but he was too tired. "You need to rest. I'll be back when we land." I didn't respond. He leaned down and kissed my head, and then he walked out the door.

I felt myself breaking down, that's why I'd snapped at Steve. And I was hating myself more and more by the second already.


End file.
